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Universal Studios filed a patent application for a system for handling many VR users in a location based environment. Combined with previous patents, this could be a hint that the company plans on competing with The VOID location based VR experience.

The patent describes a system of “tracks” in the ceiling which VR headset cables are attached to. This would allow the users to traverse a large space without bumping into eachother. To be clear this isn’t a free roaming solution- the tracks guide the user along pre-determined paths.

An automated gateway entry system is depicted where the customer can enter the track and put on the headset in a queue.

At certain points along the track the bogie which the cable is attached is described as locking in place. This could be used for cutscene-like sections of the attraction, or to prevent users going backwards and colliding. Interestingly in one listed embodiment the VR headset is wireless- which seemingly would render the system pointless.

This isn’t the first VR patent application from Universal. In 2017 the company applied for a patent for the use of an augmented reality headset for a theme park ride. In 2018 it applied for a patent for a control system for a “virtual reality mobile pod”.

In late 2018 Orlando Rising reported that Universal has plans for a large land expansion. While this could be intended for a VR section, patent applications simply aren’t enough evidence to say conclusively. But if Universal Studios does add VR to their parks, it would be a welcome boost of confidence for the entire location based VR market.

January Sales are coming to a close, but there’s a chance to save big in this PSVR sale.

The sale, which is now running on the US PlayStation Store, features some of the headset’s best games. Take note, however, that the promotion is for PS Plus members only. The highlight of the deals has to be Borderlands 2 VR. Gearbox’s so-so port of its shooter sequel hit the headset last month but has already had 25% slashed off of its price. It’s now down to $37.49.

But that’s far from the end of the savings. Resident Evil 7‘s Gold Edition, which features all of the DLC, is priced at $24.99. Astro Bot Robot Rescue is down to $31.99 and continues to be one of the best games on the platform. The super deal of the day must be Wipeout Omega Collection, which features some of the best VR support around for just $5.99. That’s two games with a bunch of racing both on and offline. Heck, even Ubisoft’s Star Trek: Bridge Crew is down all the way to $9.99 and the optional VR support will help you find others to play with.

Our pick? The excellent Statik for just $5.99. It’s a surreal puzzle game with an excellent core mechanic at its heart.

Don’t sleep on this sale. It’s a good time to get digging into PSVR’s back catalog seeing as we really don’t know what’s in store for the headset over the next few months. Sony’s Blood And Truth is on the way, but we’re still waiting on the reveal of some other titles.

Sheffield Doc/Fest 2019 is on the hunt for its next big documentary using immersive tech.

The festival today announced the launch of its Alternate Realities commission. It’s offering £20,000 to produce a new digital project that could use either AR, VR or other media. That’s quite a jump on last year’s £12,000 commission, which produced a VR experience called Face to Face. Previous projects also include the emotionally moving Future Aleppo.

This year’s winner will feature at the festival in June. But Doc/Fest has also partnered with digital creativity festival, MUTEK. The winning experience and its creator will travel to the festival in Montreal, Canada for the show from 20th – 25th August. You’ll also have a chance to speak at the event.

The piece will also feature in the Alternate Realities Exhibition Tour that travels across the UK and beyond following the festival.

“I am thrilled to welcome Site Gallery, British Council and MUTEK as new supporting partners, alongside Arts Council England; these new relationships will amplify the impact of the project and offer prestigious exhibition opportunities and profile for the successful artist,” said Dan Tucker, Curator of the Alternate Realities programme, in a prepared statement.

Interested? Submissions are open now so have your proposals at the ready. You have until midnight GMT on February 25th to get them in.

Sheffield Doc/Fest runs from June 6th – 11th. You can expect the return of the Alternate Realities exhibition, which has hosted some of our favorite VR experiences of recent years. We’re looking forward to it.

Eariler this week we reported that PSVR multiplayer shooter Starblood Arena is shutting down. Now developer WhiteMoon Dreams has spoken up with a bittersweet goodbye.

Studio CEO Jay Koottarappallil took to the PSVR subreddit to talk about the game’s closure. “People, we loved this game so deeply,” he wrote, “it became a large part of the studio’s identity and though we work on other things today, the roots of SBA run deep, making this time even harder.”

Starblood was an enjoyable six degrees of freedom (6DOF) VR shooter that launched in 2017. It had some good ideas on how to build a VR shooter, but struggled to find a robust audience. That’s a common theme with VR games. Sony will take the servers offline in July. Koottarappallil revealed that the decision to shut servers down came from Sony itself, and WhiteMoon isn’t being given the chance to save it.

“Sony called earlier to let me know that they were shutting down servers,” he wrote. “The call was something along the lines of “This is always a very hard time, but its time to shut down the servers”. There wasn’t a whole lot of detail past that and there was no option for us to support servers ourselves, much less make any new releases. At the very least, we would have liked to have the option to pay for servers ourselves.”

However, Koottarappallil emphasized that he didn’t want the blame to be leveled at Sony. The post even cites a lot of figures at Sony that helped get the game made.

“As for you, well, I can’t thank all of you enough for how you guys carried SBA from launch,” he wrote, addressing the community. “We launched in April 2017 with zero marketing and PR support, much to our disappointment, but you guys rallied.”

WhiteMoon itself isn’t facing closure, though. Koottarappallil confirmed as much in an email to UploadVR and the post says the studio is working on new projects. Starblood Arena may be over, but hopefully WhiteMoon will continue its work in VR.

One of music’s strangest acts invades Sundance with an even stranger AR experience. It’s fitting that YouTube darling Poppy is at the center of an interactive AR piece that ends with you questioning your own reality. It’s her thing and The Jester’s Tale from RYOT is no exception, presenting a mix of Magic Leap technology

New Zealand’s capital has transformed into an interactive VR city in hopes of enticing tourists and potential residents. Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, looks to become the world’s first gamified VR city through a VR experience called WellTown, which promises to inject you directly into the heart and soul of the vibrant city, putting you